My son cooperated with police right from the start: Barala

Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala, whose son and his friend were arrested today on charges of stalking and attempting to abduct a 29-year-old woman, maintained that his son had cooperated with the police right from the start.

Making a brief presence before media here, minutes before his son Vikas Barala made an appearance before the police, the BJP leader said his son and the other accused were given bail earlier as charges pressed against them were bailable.

"They (accused) were earlier called for joining investigation and they reached the police station. As soon as I got the information about the notice (of summon) posted at my Chandigarh residence today, I immediately asked Vikas, who was out of station at that time, to join the probe," he said at the press conference.
 

Barala rubbished opposition charge that the police were acting under political pressure in the case.

"These charges are baseless. Never have I tried to influence the investigation. Whatever action is made out against my son as per law, that should happen. I have said that the victim is like my daughter.

"I think the charge that police is not properly investigating the case is not fair," he said.

The state BJP chief then left the media briefing in a huff, claiming that he had received a phone call from his son, who was just about to appear before the Chandigarh Police.

Meanwhile, opposition INLD leader Dushyant Chautala demanded fast-tracking the case, "so that an example is set and a strong message goes out that even people in powerful positions are equal before law".

Commenting on the state BJP chief's statement that the victim was like his daughter, Chautala said, "If that was the case, why didn't he hand over his son to the police earlier? When a nationwide outcry broke out over the case, the BJP chief appeared before the media."

Vikas Barala (23) and Ashish Kumar (27) were arrested today on non-bailable charges of trying to abduct the 29-year-old-woman, daughter of an IAS officer. The accused will be produced before a court tomorrow.

The incident had come to light when the woman called up the police last week, complaining that two youths were chasing her along a stretch of over five kilometres from Chandigarh right up to a point in the Union Territory, which is adjoining Haryana's border.